He thrust inside, the first push deep and on the edge of painful. She twisted under him, wanting him gone, wanting more of him, and just wanting. He slid partway out, pushed again. This time, her hips rose up to meet him, a thin cry escaping from her lips.
He was breathing hard, sweat trickling down the heavy swell of his arms. Orgasm began to stir in her belly, the first clouds of a gathering storm. Suddenly, the bloodlust swamped her, shredding through her as if those clouds carried electricity. With each of his strokes, she arched against the mattress, the sweetish taste of venom in her mouth as it leaked from her fangs.
And then the storm began to break. Her muscles clenched around Lore, pleasuring him as he stroked into her. He murmured encouragements in his own tongue, but he was too far gone for finesse. His rhythm began to break, growing ragged as he growled again.
The vibration in his body tipped her over the edge. Talia’s mind blanked, a white supernova of sensation as he released. The wet, hot flood of him filled her as he cried out, the hard force of his final thrust pinning her to the bed.
In that moment, she struck, fangs sinking deep into his neck. Blood filled her mouth as his heart sped, the exotic flavor of demon teasing her. A second wave of pleasure rolled over her, hardening her nipples to hypersensitive points. Tiny contractions fluttered through her, milking him in time with his pulse.
As this second orgasm crested, her venom released fully. Lore moaned as it flooded his blood, hardening him once more. He started to rear up, but she held him tight. She sucked, taking her fill, the heat of him bringing a false flush to her skin.
Their hips began to rock together as she fed. Pressure began to build again, this time gentler, more gradual. The sound of flesh on flesh, lips on flesh, the mixing sigh of breath filled the lamp-lit room. Like all demons, Lore healed quickly, the flow of life stopping just shy of satisfaction.
Talia rolled him over, still impaled on his shaft, and began to rock. His eyes were pools that held nothing but sensation. He reached for her breasts, cupping them, rolling the nipples with his thumbs. She was wet with needing him, but he was big enough to still be tight as she stroked him. She felt full—bursting with his blood and seed, but greedy for more. A contraction lanced through her, making her shudder.
“Come for me,” Lore whispered. “Come for me, and let me finish you.”
She rocked again, so sensitive that the stroke seemed to reach all the way to her throat.
He thrust up, and that ended it. She cried out, her sharp nails scoring deep into the flesh of his shoulders. With a snarl, he pulled her under him, driving into her again and again, until in a final push he came one last time, filling Talia until she felt she could hold nothing more.
He rolled his weight off her, and she rolled with him. Draped over Lore’s chest, Talia fell into an abyss of weightless afterglow. He was panting slightly, one arm curled protectively over her back. She could hear his heartbeat, strong and quick. She turned her head so she could see his face. He was watching her, his eyes hooded.
“So is hellhound tasty?” he asked, his tone dry but gentle at the same time.
“An acquired taste, I think.”
“As the Alpha, I have prophetic gifts.”
“And what do you prophesize?”
“That you will never be left behind again.”
“You going to handcuff me in a safe place?”
His lips curled in a very male smile. “Would you like that?”
Talia felt her energy flicker, like a short in her personal power line. She raised her head, looking toward the window. No, not yet!
Lore rose up on one elbow, lifting her up along with him. “What’s wrong?”
She sat up, feeling suddenly naked instead of seductively nude. “Dawn. You should go.”
He touched her hair, running his thumb along her cheekbone. “Why?”
Anger and shame stabbed through her. She pulled away from his touch. “Because I fall into a coma and make like a dead person.”
Lore seemed to be digesting this, his eyebrows drawn together. “You were in my apartment for several days. I know what happens.”
But they hadn’t made love then. Now they had something to lose. “Turning into a corpse is a deal-ender for so many relationships. I don’t want that.”
Strength was draining from her like a bath with no plug in the drain. Talia was starting to shake, her muscles too starved for energy to sit up. She lowered herself onto the pillow, tears of frustration filling her eyes. Why couldn’t we have had a few more minutes before the night had to end?
Wordlessly, Lore lay down beside her, cradling her against him. Gently, he kissed away the wetness that had leaked from beneath her lashes.
Talia’s heart hurt, strained with too much emotion. Ecstasy. Attraction. Sadness. Anger. It wasn’t fair. She’d been so strong, a sex goddess, an equal to Lore just minutes ago. Now she was an invalid, withering away in his arms. An object of pity.
Why doesn’t he just go?
“Do you hurt?” he asked, his voice soft with concern. He was warm, a walking furnace. He felt so good.
“No. I go numb. It’s like dying every morning.” If only she could hide, keep him thinking she was the Talia of an hour ago . . . but she could barely move.
“Sh.” He brushed a hair from her face. “Once, the hounds guarded souls on their journey to worlds beyond this one. When you are with one of us, when you are with me, you can sleep soundly.”
Despite herself, Talia managed a smile. “You’ll be my guard dog.”
He touched her nose with the tip of his finger. “Absolutely. You’ll not be alone. Not one step of the way.”
She could feel the darkness rushing toward her. “I’m always afraid I’ll never wake up.”
Lore watched as her face went slack, her lips parting slightly. At the last second, he had seen her fear. An unexpected sadness ached in his throat as she faded from life to wherever the vampires slept.
He hadn’t expected to feel so alone.
Chapter 24
Friday, December 31, 4:00 p.m.
Empire Hotel
Talia woke. When her mind finally organized itself, remembered where she was and what had happened, she found herself staring at Lore’s naked back, her gaze following the roll of muscle as he shifted his weight. He was sitting at the end of the bed, typing into his cell phone.
He’d stayed through the day. I’m not alone. When was the last time she had awakened with someone? Years. Long before Belenos had taken her. It was with Tom.
She held that thought at arm’s length, not wanting to acknowledge it. Guilt had kept her solitary for years, but last night something fundamental had changed.
She’d told him who the real Talia was, and he hadn’t rejected her.
I’m not alone, she thought again, this time feeling the wonder of it. After all that’s happened to me. After all the things I’ve done, whether I meant to or not. Cautious joy crept in, not sure how long it would be welcome. She wasn’t used to being happy.
Lore thumbed off the phone and twisted around so that he could see her. The gesture was fluid, not at all human. For a moment, she wondered how much of him was pure camouflage. Really, what did it matter? Human? Hellhound? Lore was Lore. Since when were you the poster child for interspecies tolerance?
Since she had six and a half feet of uber-gorgeous male giving her a wake-up smile. I had sex. Oh, golly, I
